PAKISTAN - A 9-month-old baby who was charged with attempted murder in Pakistan was taken into hiding by his family, a relative said Tuesday.
The baby, Mohammad Musa Khan, was charged with attempted murder along with other members of his family after they allegedly threw rocks at police officers who were trying to collect an unpaid gas bill Feb. 1, according to CNN. His grandfather told Reuters the family had to take the baby into hiding for his protection.
"Police are vindictive," Muhammad Yasin said. "Now they are trying to settle the issue on personal grounds - that's why I sent my grandson to Faisalabad for protection."
The baby was charged with attempted murder based on a report that his entire family "beat up" an assistant subinspector during a mob protest against gas cuts and price increases, according to Reuters. Backlash from the case after it gained international media attention led to the suspension of Inspector Kashif Muhammed, who visited the crime scene and wrote in his report that it was a case of attempted murder, according to AFP.
However, Reuters reported the baby is still scheduled to appear in court on April 12. He is currently out on bail.
The baby originally appeared in court with around 30 other people who were charged in the same case at the beginning of the month, according to AFP. Pictures show the baby crying while he was fingerprinted by a court official.
"He does not even know how to pick up his milk bottle properly - how can he stone the police?" Yasin asked journalists at the court, according to Reuters.
His grandfather said he wasn't sure if he would take the baby to his scheduled court appearance because of "immense pressure" from various corners.
The family's lawyer told AFP that the charges against the baby should be dropped because the baby is younger than Pakistan's minimum age of criminal responsibility, which was raised from 7 to 12 years old in 2013.%3Cimg%20src%3D%22http%3A//beacon.deseretconnect.com/beacon.gif%3Fcid%3D160376%26pid%3D46%22%20/%3E